1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a label printing and applying machine of portable type (which will be shortly referred to as a "hand labeler" hereinafter), and more particularly to a label jam preventing mechanism for use in the hand labeler, by which a continuous label strip having a series of labels to be printed can be fed smoothly without any jam to a printing platen that is juxtaposed to a printing head. The label jam preventing mechanism finds its most suitable application in the hand labeler of the type, in which the printing head is fixed to the labeler frame while the platen carrying the continuous label strip is made movable to and from the printing head so that the labels of the strip may be printed one by one with preset letters and symbols.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a hand labeler, or the like, a rolled label strip is fed to a printing position, i.e., onto a platen. To prepare for this feeding operation, the slits formed in the continuous label strip must be fitted in advance onto the feeding projections, which are formed on the outer peripheral surface of a feeding roller that is rotatably mounted in the body of the hand labeler. The feeding roller is then turned to draw and feed the label strip to the printing position.
In a conventional hand labeler, however, the continuous label strip is often slackened or is partially raised from the section of the labeler between the outer peripheral surface of the feeding roller and the platen. This joining section comprises a passage plate interposed between a guiding plate in the vicinity of the feeding roller and the platen such that the passage plate may swing in response to the reciprocal motions of the platen during the printing operation. As a result, the pathway over the passage plate is sometimes jammed with the raised label strip, so that the conventional hand labeler often fails to accomplish the desired smooth feeding of the continuous label strip onto the platen.